12th Annual Bahr Pumpkin Carving Contest!!!

I know that it's been over 6 months since I blogged, but what better time to return than for the pumpkin carving contest?!  I can't even tell you how excited I was to see real, live, orange pumpkins this year!  And they were less than $30!!!  Last year didn't feel like fall at all...no colorful leaves, very few pumpkins, but we did have a nice Halloween celebration in the compound.  Let's just say for some things - there is no place like home!  Enough mushy stuff, on to the contest!

 Contestant #1 - Mummy

 Contestant #2 - Stinky Frank

 Contestant #3 - Toothy Grin

 Contestant #4 - Jaws

 Contestant #5 - Vampire

A look at all of them together

Use the poll on the right hand side to cast your vote. Voting will end at noon on Halloween.
 May the best carver win!!!

Summer Adventures

So, I realize that it has been ions since I last did a blog post.  The other night my Dad asked me if I was still keeping up with it, and although I've had good intentions - life got in the way!  But, at least you know we've been LIVING!!!!!  I am going to try to do better about posting what we are up to over these summer months.

Friday the kids and I just so happened to luck out and hit Downtown Lee's Summit right as the carnival was opening.  We were able to walk around and check out the booths before hitting some of the rides.  It was definitely the time to go because there wasn't much of a crowd and zero lines!!!

     

Friday night was Ladie's Night at the K so I had a girls night with my sister in laws and two of Eric's cousins.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect night!

Saturday was the annual Burns & McDonnell family picnic.  It's always a good time and we were thankful to have Larry and Paula join us this year.  We lucked out with another sunny day.

 The kids loved the Cliff Jump!  They're quite the daredevils! 

 This little spider monkey mastered the rope ladder and even won a prize!!!!

It wouldn't be an engineering picnic without a competition.  Kaiden and I built this boat together and then they put a weight on it and timed it in this pool.

The fastest time was 5.32 seconds.  Kaiden's took 6.94 seconds!  He has the chance to win for his age group and the prize at stake is a giant treasure chest of Legos!!!!  Stay tuned to find out if he won!

Back in America

As I was putting the kids to bed last night I realized that yesterday marked 2 months since we've returned to the US.  2 whole months!!!  Where has the time gone!???  I'm going to briefly catch you up on where we are and what we've been doing these past 2 months.

We hit the U.S. soil running, jumping right into Christmas.  We celebrated on Dec 23rd with my family and on the 24th with Eric's family.  To say that this was not our typical Christmas would be an understatement.  In the midst of moving we didn't get to celebrate some of our usual traditions, but we made the best of it none-the-less.

That following weekend Eric and I headed down to Lee's Summit in search of a place to live.  It was pretty slim pickings in terms of a house.  We looked at 3 places and we were very fortunate to have found a home only 5 minutes from the kids school, our church, shopping etc.  It's on the western side of Lee's Summit and makes for a little bit of a shorter commute for Eric.  It also sits on 5 acres of land which we just LOVE!!!  We are renting for at least 6 months until we find a home we would like to buy.

 Thank goodness for family to help me move since Eric had to return to Doha January 1st!!!

Enjoying beautiful sunsets from the kitchen windows

The kids started school January 5th and have quickly gotten back into the groove.  Madie has joined the school choir and Girl Scouts.  Kaiden will be playing baseball in the spring and Madison is going to give soccer a go.  We truly couldn't ask for a better school and church family.  They have welcomed us back with open arms and have been extremely helpful.

Kealy and I have enjoyed being home together.  Playing games, coloring, trips to the library, and lunch dates with friends!  It's a good life!

Although we were hoping to extend our Doha experience a bit longer, it has been nice to be home.  My Grandma Rauth's health has been declining and I am very glad to be close at home to see her more and help my Mom.  I don't miss the crazy traffic or how difficult it can be to find things in the stores.  I do miss the gas attendants, especially in these freezing temps!!!  I miss being able to walk out my front door and visit with my neighbors, and hear the kids running around, and feeling completely safe with them being outside by themselves.  Now I can't let them out of my sight.  Kinda sad the fears with live with.

Words can't even begin to describe how much I miss my dear friend Tiggy.  It's kind of crazy how much and how quickly you can bond with someone you just met, but Tigs and I are kindred spirits.  Truly, the time you share with those you love the most is never, ever enough.  Thank goodness for technology and trans-Atlantic flights!!!  

I am very grateful for the Burns & Mac Doha family we've created.  Especially during moments when nobody else seems to understand what I'm feeling or why, I have an amazing group of women to turn to for support.

This experience has changed our family, I'd like to think for the better.  It's given us the opportunity to slow down and truly appreciate what matters in life.  We are trying to hold onto some of that while jumping into the rat race back home.  Yesterday I sat on the couch and read for 30 minutes.  I can honestly say I NEVER did that before because I didn't feel like I could take time for MYSELF.  There was always cleaning, dance, sports, yard work or SOMETHING to be done.

My new mantra

  

Merry Christmas from the Bahrs

 Merry Christmas from the Bahr Family!!!!

What an amazing year this has been!!!  WOW!!!  We are so tremendously blessed.  We got to live in the Middle East for a year, visit 5 countries, and try lots of new things from dhow boat rides to scrumptious new cuisines.  2015 will bring us back to the States and we are looking forward to reuniting with friends and family and having many more adventures back home.

I can't even tell you how hard it has been to say good-bye to some amazing friends that we have made here.  However, this family has caught the travel bug and who knows where life will take us.  If nothing else, we're just a plane ride away!

The kids actually asked to have this picture taken!  Too funny!

We couldn't have asked for 3 better kiddos to share this journey we call life with.  They have grown tremendously this past year.  Not only are they bigger and wiser, but they have also made friends from around the world!  It blows my mind to hear them talk about China, Africa, Australia, and aspire to go visit these places some day.  Sharing the world with our children has been a wonderful blessing and an amazing experience for all of us.

We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and hope that 2015 brings you many blessings, happiness, and good health.

Much Love,

Eric, Bridget, Madison, Kaiden, and Kealy

Last Pit Stop

I filled up my car with gas, or petrol as they call it here, for the last time this morning.  It's like a step back into the 1950's, they have gas attendants and I have become spoiled.  Not only have I not had to pump my own petrol for the last year, but it is incredibly cheap.  About 85 cents a gallon!!!!  So to fill the entire tank of my tiny Honda City costs less than $7.  I am quite positive that I will never pay these prices ever again in my life!!!!  So this morning as the guy was pumping the petrol and he told me I owed 26 riyal for the tank I had already decided that I was going to make this guy's day with a fat tip.  Upon giving me my change I handed him back 50 riyal (a little more than $10).  He looked at me puzzled and I just said, "Thank you and Merry Christmas"  I drove away with more than just a full tank this morning.

"New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings" ~Lao Tzu

 

Well, I'm not sure where to start with this post, I've been thinking about it for a whole week now, so here we go.  Basically, in the span of 48 hours we went from thinking we would be in Qatar for at least another 6 months, to "well, we're not so sure", to "you're going home".  Talk about an emotional roller coaster; and I thought making the decision to move here was hard!!!  That doesn't even compare to what we've been thru.  We've been feeling a myriad of emotions from denial, to anger, to excitement, sadness, and joy.  Where do we go from here?

Well, first off, I wouldn't have changed a thing.  Not a single thing.  It took a lot of faith, courage, and prayers to make this decision and I firmly believe that it was the right one. Not only have grown as a family, and in our faith (which is quite the blessing considering living in an Islamic country), but we have made lifelong friends and taken our children on an adventure of a lifetime, and for that, I will be forever grateful.  Yes, we wish the journey could've lasted a little longer, but I firmly believe that God has a plan for us.  He led us to this desert and I trust that He has big plans for us in the future.  We are leaving Qatar a changed family, for the better, and our lives will never, ever be the same.

"And suddenly you know it's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings"   ~Meister Eckhart

So where do we go from here?  Besides back to Lee's Summit?!  These next few months will be crazy I'm sure....we're flying home sometime around December 22nd or so.  Flights have yet to be booked.  We will celebrate Christmas with family in St. Joe and then Eric & I will look for a rental house.  He will return to Doha January 1st to finish out his contract.  (Heavy Sigh)  As much as I hate the idea of us being apart for a month, I know it's for the best. 

We ask for your continued prayers and support as we make our journey back into life in the States.  

"Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but it's everything in between that makes it all worth living."  ~Unknown

Halloween - Doha Style

First, I must announce and congratulate the winner of the 11th Annual Bahr Pumpkin Carving (sort-of) contest.......

Mr. Kaiden Bahr 

for

B the Bull

 

Well done buddy!!!

 

We celebrated Halloween Doha style this year and the kids had a blast!  Everyone gathered in front of the club house and we split the kids into 4 groups.  They went trick-or-treating around the compound and then we all met up by the pool for food and drinks.

 A pirate, vampire girl, & a mermaid

I'm not really sure what I was dressed as, but my friend, Kathy, said I was a sexy sorceress!  I'll take that!

This is sweet little Mia - she was a witch

Kaiden, me, Nisrine, Jasmina, Madison, & Amber

Eric was on candy duty

Corinna scaring the cats away!

Ivonne did an awesome job on her door!  SCARY!!!

Aimee, Kealy, & Madie

Enjoying snacks by the pool

11th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest - Revised

We had to put a twist on our pumpkin carving contest this year, as to purchase a proper pumpkin costs well over $30 per pumpkin!!!  EEK!!!!  So we found these gourds, or Indian pumpkins as a friend told me.  Instead of carving we painted and I found some decorations like a Mr. Potato Head to use.  We wanted to try and continue our tradition, so please enjoy voting on our "pumpkins" and have a very Happy & Safe Halloween!!!

Use the poll on the right to vote!

 Mr. Sophistication

 B the Bull

 Alexia

Franken Gourd

 

Candy Corn

A Day in the Life of a Doha Driver

I set off this morning with a mission in mind....to buy some Halloween decorations and goodies for the Boo Bash we are having on Thursday.  Sounds easy enough, right?  The distance from our place to the party store is a little less than 7km (roughly 4.3 miles) - on a good day it takes me roughly 15 minutes to get from here there.  Today it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes.  I'm sure you're thinking, there must've been an accident or something, right?  Nope, just good old fashioned Doha traffic with a few traffic cops thrown into the mix, just for fun.

It's not uncommon for traffic to get backed up on a daily basis, especially on the more common thoroughfares.  So I wasn't surprised by the lack of movement.  However, I had never seen the traffic police walking amongst the vehicles taking down license plates, and instructing them to pull over into an empty lot to meet with another office.  Thankfully I was not selected to be part of this process!!!

After inching along, I finally made it to the giant roundabout where I had to take the 3rd exit to the right.  Things were looking good until I was half way around the roundabout and traffic was bumper to bumper and I was supposed to exit.  Like prodding cattle, I was slowly moved along and ended up going around again!!!  By this point in my journey I was so completely frustrated that I decided I would just take the first exit and try to find my way back home.  Seriously!!!!

As I'm weaving thru smaller streets, still jam packed with cars, and trying to frantically punch the "go home" button on my snazzy Garmin.  (Thank God for Garmin or I would completely lose it!  After all, who can remember street names like Freejaj Al Soudan, or Al Azizya)  I come to a small roundabout and low and behold, there is the SAME party store I was looking for at what is either a new location or a second store!  Praise God!!!  I swiftly pull over and park on the sidewalk, because that's what you do in a city of over 2 million people with about 10 parking spots.  I jump out, pleased that my travels and time weren't a complete waste!!!

I quickly grab the items I'm looking for, plates, napkins, party favors etc.  The Filapino women who are helping me are so very nice (they don't have any carts or baskets in the store, so as I'm loading my arms up, she's taking it to the counter for me).  As I'm paying for my goods they are asking me about the party we are having, and I am thanking them for stocking their store with goodies to make this party possible!  (Target, how I miss you!!!!)

Now back out into traffic to forge my way home!  As I'm creeping down a one-lane road that people have magically made into two lanes simply by refusing to merge, low and behold, there are the traffic cops again!  Thankfully, on the other side of the road.  I zip thru a roundabout, horns blazing, tires screeching, praying that my invisible shield is working today.  I make it thru and the only thing separating me from home is one light and one roundabout.  I make it home in record time (thanks to my NASCAR driving skills!  I always knew all that MarioKart playing would pay off some day)  I decide that one errand was enough for today, after all, we still have to get out for church tonight!!!

Day Trip to Monaco

 Our first full day with Grandma we took the train to Monaco.  Did you know that Monaco is the second smallest country in the world?  Only Vatican City is smaller!!!

 Our first stop was the aquarium

 We've been to a lot of aquariums and I can't ever recall seeing an octopus this close.  Eric kept thinking he was staring at him!  They're actually very intelligent creatures.  They have 3 hearts, and 9 brains!  One in it's head and one in each of it's legs!  CRAZY!!!

 I love little passage ways like this

 St. Nicholas Cathedral built in 1875

 Overlooking the beautiful port in Monte Carlo

 Checking out the boats

 The day wouldn't be complete without some gelato!!!